Final B1G Nonconference Schedule Rankings (then & now)

[SelectionSunday]

In this space prior to the 2011-12 season we put together a ranking of B1G teams' OVERALL nonconference schedules and their HOME nonconference schedules, using their opponents' AVERAGE RPI from the previous season (2010-11) as a guide.

This is what the rankings looked like prior to the season (with average RPI of opponents listed in parentheses).

Projected B1G (Overall) Nonconference Schedule Rankings
1. Michigan State (143.75)
2. Illinois (152.583)
3. Ohio State (154)
4. GOPHERS (162.181)
5. Purdue (169.7)
6. Wisconsin (171.083)
7. Penn State (171.666)
8. Indiana (192.615)
9. Michigan (197.7)
10. Iowa (206.923)
11. Northwestern (209.6)
12. Nebraska (210.909)

Projected B1G (Home) Nonconference Schedule Rankings
1. GOPHERS (155)
2. Michigan State (166.875)
3. Ohio State (169.727)
4. Wisconsin (191.222)
5. Illinois (203.75)
6. Penn State (215.375)
7. Indiana (223.4)
8. Purdue (224.587)
9. Northwestern (225.428)
10. Iowa (231.7)
11. Nebraska (240.25)
12. Michigan (271.333)
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This is how the rankings look with the season now complete, with opponents' final RPIs from the 2011-12 season.

Final B1G (Overall) Nonconference Schedule Rankings
1. Michigan State (130.166) -- played 5 NCAA qualifiers (Duke, Florida State, Gonzaga, Lehigh, North Carolina)
2. Northwestern (154.666) -- played 3 NCAA qualifiers (Baylor, Creighton, Mississippi Valley State)
3. Michigan (155) -- played 4 NCAA qualifiers (Duke, Iowa State, Memphis, Virginia)
4. Wisconsin (155.153) -- played 5 NCAA qualifiers (BYU, Marquette, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina, UNLV)
5. Illinois (160.23) -- played 4 NCAA qualifiers (Gonzaga, Mizzou, Saint Bonaventure, UNLV)
6. Penn State (160.769) -- played 3 NCAA qualifiers (Kentucky, LIU, USF)
7. Ohio State (163.153) -- played 4 NCAA qualifiers (Duke, Florida, Kansas, Lamar)
8. Purdue (164.153) -- played 4 NCAA qualifiers (Alabama, Iona, Temple, Xavier)
9. GOPHERS (181.461) -- played 1 NCAA qualifier (South Dakota State)
10. Indiana (184.769) -- played 3 NCAA qualifiers (Kentucky, NC State, Notre Dame)
11. Nebraska (187.818) -- played 2 NCAA qualifiers (Creighton, South Dakota State)
12. Iowa (204.615) -- played 2 NCAA qualifiers (Creighton, Iowa State)

Final B1G (Home) Nonconference Schedule Rankings
1. Michigan State (160.625) -- best home opponent = Florida State (11)
2. Ohio State (174.636) -- best home opponent = Duke (5)
3. Wisconsin (175.444) -- best home opponent = Marquette (9)
4. Illinois (193.555) -- best home opponent = UNLV (18)
5. Northwestern (194.857) -- best home opponent = Baylor (8)
6. GOPHERS (195.1) -- best home opponent = South Dakota State (43)
7. Penn State (201.75) -- best home opponent = Ole Miss (61)
8. Nebraska (207.375) -- best home opponent = South Dakota State (43)
9. Indiana (218.3) -- best home opponent = Kentucky (2)
10. Michigan (233.833) -- best home opponent = Iowa State (33)
11. Purdue (235.625) -- best home opponent = Miami-Florida (60)
12. Iowa (253) -- best home opponent = Drake (134)

So relative to preseason projections and factoring in teams' (A) overall nonconference schedule and (B) home nonconference schedule, we come up with the following +/- rankings:

1. Northwestern (+13)
2. Michigan (+8)
3. Nebraska (+4)
4. Wisconsin (+3)
5. Michigan State (+1)
6. Penn State (-)
7. Illinois (-2)
8. Ohio State (-3)
T-9. Indiana (-4)
T-9. Iowa (-4)
11. Purdue (-6)
12. GOPHERS (-10)

Schedule Note
Michigan and Michigan State each played non-Division I opponents excluded from the schedule rankings. Translation? For average-RPI purposes (and by the Selection Committee), those are considered non-games.